Wednesday, March 12

Hey folks, I'm finally going to review a game, but more importantly, I'm going to review the latest game in my favorite court room drama, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. As the first game in the series exclusive to the DS, I have high hopes and expectations for this game, lets see if Capcom got it right after the break.

Back in 05, the first AA game hit store shelves in the US. Originally going by the title Gyakuten Saiban in Japan, all the games had been developed specifically for the GBA. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney however, has been developed from the ground up with the DS in mind. Along with all the old features, such as exploring areas and pressing witnesses, a whole slew of new features have been added features have been added(some of were in the last case of the first game) which take advantage of the DS's Touch screen.

This game follows Apollo Justice, a rookie defense attorney fresh off the BAR, who vaguely resembles Phoenix Wright. Among the other new characters introduced, None of them are as likable as the ones from previous games. Fret not however, you will see some old faces from the series such as, Ema Skye, Winston Payne and the Judge.

While Phoenix Wright may have had his Megatama, which allowed him to tell when people were hiding things from him, Apollo has his own supernatural trinket in the form of a bracelet that allows him to sense when people are lying to him. During testimony Apollo can use an action called "perceive", that zooms in on the witness while slowing down their testimony so you can find their tension or "nervous ticks". This makes for a fun but sometimes frustrating addition for the game, if you can't find the tick.Making a return from the final case of the first game is the forensic investigation gameplay that takes advantage of the DS's touch screen. Players can now analyze evidence in 3D, dust for fingerprints, spray for traces of blood and make plaster molds of footprints. These new features are a welcome deviation from the game's sometimes linear gameplay.

The graphics in Apollo Justice have also been greatly improved upon. Though most of the artwork seems to be reused, everything seems to have a bit more detailed. This is also the first game in the series to use CGI animations, which helps to immerse players into the game.

Apollo Justice is a great addition to this strong franchise, I just hope the developer can keep cranking out more AA games of this quality.